The Structure of the Libertarian Party

Founded in 1971, the Libertarian Party is an American political party that falls neither in the "left" or "right" category. Referred to as the largest third party in the United States, the Libertarian Party believes in complete individual liberty.

This Freedom Philosophy of the Libertarian Party focuses on each person completely owning his own life. The party believes people should be allowed to do exactly what they want to do with their property and lives as long as they don't infringe on the property and rights of others.

Libertarian Party Structure

The National Libertarian Party and its surrounding headquarters are overseen by the Libertarian National Committee (LNC). Its members are considered to be the absolute authority of this representative-style organization.

The following breakdown lists the current leaders of the LNC:

• Chair: Bill Redpath
• Vice Chair: Chuck Moulton
• Secretary: Bob Sullentrup
• Treasurer: Aaron Starr
• At-Large Representatives: Angela Keaton, Patrick Dixon, Michael C. Colley, Jeremy Keil, Dan Karlan.

Breakdown by Region

The Libertarian Party organization consists of seven regions plus one group categorized as "orphaned affiliates." The breakdown of regions is as follows:

• Region One: Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, North Dakota, Nebraska
• Region Two: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho
• Region Three: Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana
• Region Four: Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina
• Region Five: Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia
• Region Six: Utah, New Mexico, Arkansas, Nevada, Louisiana, Arizona, Texas
• Region Seven: New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire
• Orphaned Affiliates: West Virginia, Hawaii, Maine, Oklahoma, Rhode Island.

There is also a Libertarian National Congressional Committee (LNCC). The LNCC acts as a strong assistant for party candidates in the state races. Currently, M. Carling (CA) is the chairman.

Within the composition breakdown, each individual state has Libertarian representation through its own state committee. Generally, a state committee will have state officers and regional support. Committees representing county, town, city and ward are comprised of local representation. These groups might be responsible for running local conventions, campaign strategies and even primaries or caucuses.

Unified Membership Program

The Unified Membership Program (UMP) began in the late 1990s. It allowed the LNC to share national dues with state parties. Due to funding problems, the program was stopped in 2006. It is interesting to note, however, that this idea of shared dues was adopted in 2005 by the Democratic National Committee.

Libertarian Presence in Government Offices

There are more than 400 Libertarian Party members currently in government offices. Many of these members are involved in somewhat low-level positions within the government. The Libertarian Party continually fields more candidates than other third parties. The Libertarian Party is active in all 50 states, and there are currently more than 200,000 registered Libertarian voters.

Libertarian leaders are represented with mayors, county council members and executives throughout the country. They serve on school boards and in hundreds of local offices. The year 2006 saw votes in excess of 13.4 million in support of Libertarian candidates.